Home Archives for Satan

Grandparents Praying with Purpose

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I hope the you had a blessed Thanksgiving whether you were with friends and family or spending a quiet day yourself reflecting how good God is and how fortunate we are to be His children.

Speaking of children, many of us have grandchildren. Dave and I are grandparents to eleven ranging in age from nine to twenty-one. As part of my morning quiet time, I pray God’s Word for these precious ones. It doesn’t mean they haven’t encountered trials and hardships, but they do each know Jesus as their Savior and I find comfort and confidence that God is watching over each one.

But I’m not fooling myself that in today’s culture there will be many temptations and the evil one is targeting the next generation. Satan does not want us producing more Christians in our families and the family of God.

So I want to introduce to you my dear friend Lillian Penner, Co-prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network, and her new book The New “Revised and Expanded” Grandparenting with a Purpose.

If you’re a grandparent, you’re going to want a copy of this book. If there are grandparents in your life, this would make a great gift. If you’re a parent you need all the help you can get and what a gift to have your parents praying for your children, their grandchildren.

I asked Lillian to tell you about her new book . . . here is a message from Lillian Penner!

Today, there are over 70 million grandparents in the United States plus many more around the world. Grandparents represent one-third of the population with 1.7 million new grandparents added to the ranks every year in the U.S. Grandparents lead 37% of all U.S. households in this country — that’s 44 million households nationwide. (Google) [email protected]

How GRANDPARENTS CAN IMPACT THE WORLD?

[Tweet “We have reached a time in history when the grandparents must rise as one to cry to God.”]

It is estimated that there are over 30 million Christian grandparents. We have reached a time in history when the grandparents must rise as one to cry to God.  I believe if 30 million Christian Grandparents who believe in the power of prayer and deliberately praying the enemy will be crushed.

[Tweet “Satan is relentless in his aggressive attack to desensitize our children to truth and righteousness. This is a spiritual battle requiring spiritual weapons.”]

Satan is relentless in his aggressive attack to desensitize our children to truth and righteousness. This is a spiritual battle requiring spiritual weapons. Our grandchildren and their parents not only need our support, they need our earnest and united prayers. They need our united prayer, a genuine, unified prayer for our hope and dreams for the next generation to be realized.

Grandparenting with a Purpose: Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren - Revised & Expanded

The “Revised and Expanded” Grandparenting with a Purpose, Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren is designed to encourage and equip grandparents to intentionally pray for their grandchildren and their parents.

Since I have had many requests for a study guide to go with the chapters, I have expanded the book with additional chapters and a study guide for each chapter, which you will find useful.

  • I have found there are many hurting estranged grandparents today with heavy hearts, so I am addressing that issue in a chapter. Is your grandparenting painful or a blessing?
  • I include a section looking at a view of the culture our grandchildren and their parents are navigating today.
  • God’s Design for grandparenting plus several additional chapters and Scriptures to Pray for Teens and Scriptures for Grandparents to pray for themselves.

The book retails for $14.99, however, on my website it is available for a discounted price of $15.00, including shipping and handling costs in the U. S. for a limited time.  A bonus of Scriptural Prayer resource will be included with your purchase. The book will be available in EBook format for $3.99 for those who would prefer the EBook format or live outside the U. S. to save on shipping costs.

[Tweet ““Revised and Expanded” Grandparenting with a Purpose, Effective Ways to Pray for Your Grandchildren will show grandparents how to be intentional disciple-makers and prayer warriors to impact the next generation.”]

This book will challenge you and give you resources for this spiritual battle with the enemy. It will show you how to be an intentional disciple-maker and prayer warrior to impact the next generation.

Written by Lillian Penner, Co-prayer director for Christian Grandparenting Network. [email protected]

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December 2, 2019
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What Are You Holding Onto That God Wants You to Let Go?

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You may have noticed my Monday Morning Blogs have been a bit sporadic in October. Today’s post explains what’s been happening in this season of the Thompson’s always changing and never boring life adventures.

When we lived in Southern California, I was blessed to have every author’s dream: a writing retreat in the mountains where I would hibernate for weeks and soak in the inspiration of God’s amazing creation. I could write quickly and profusely with no distractions and was then ready to assume my usual life roles without a deadline hanging over me when I returned home.

In the opening picture, the chair and desk in the corner is where I wrote. Yes, I positioned myself in the living room with the spectacular view of the mountains, trees, squirrels, birds, blue sky … it was my “ah-ha” writing nook. My fingers flew over the keyboard as God spoke to me through my times of prayer on the deck, reading His Words, and experiencing His masterpiece displayed in brilliant color and majesty. It’s where I’m writing this blog to you right now!

When we moved to Idaho eight years ago, we kept the cabin as a place of refuge when we visited friends and family in SoCal. It was also always a part of our retirement plan. We now feel that God is telling us it’s time to sell “the cabin.” So we’ve spent the last month there cleaning and purging much like we did when we sold our California home to move to Idaho. The big difference is that we were utilizing a moving van for our big move and this time we’re only taking what will fit in our Outback car along with suitcases!

We brainstormed renting a small U-Haul, pulling a trailer, or shipping what we wanted to take with us. Each option had a drawback and when I surveyed all the possessions I had managed to live without daily in the past fifteen years that we’ve owned the cabin, I realized there was really very little of value I need to take with me. We had already decided to sell the cabin furnished so we wouldn’t be taking any furniture.

What did I treasure so much that would be worth the cost and inconvenience of trying to get it home and then finding a place for it there? Very little!

The realtors had advised “declutter.” “Less is best when staging your home.” That was my confirmation of what God was telling me to do. So we took loads of “stuff” to the Thrift Shop at a local church that uses the funds to support missionaries. I invited neighbors and friends to come and take whatever they or their extended families could use. Quickly, I watched my “treasures” bless others.

It was freeing and exhilarating not to sell but to give away and watch their delight as they gathered up what once was so important to me.

But I have to admit that some nights I would wake up with thoughts like What have I done? Or I really could have used that at home? Or I want that back. I knew where those haunting doubts were originating and I cast Satan out of my mind. He was trying to replace the joy of giving with the angst of losing. Calm with anxiety.

God reminded me of the verse “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20).

That verse really hit home to me since our little cabin has survived surrounding fires when everything I might hold onto so tightly would’ve been gone had those fires reached our doorstep. We were blessed that they never did, but God now wanted me to be generous not covetous.

I’ll always have the memories of our times at this cabin and the many books I wrote there. We’ll cherish and treasure the friendships along with the irreplaceable experiences God allowed us to participate in beyond our expectations.

Is there anything you’re holding onto tightly that God wants you to let go of freely?

Have you uncluttered recently and know the freedom of not letting possessions own you?

[Tweet “Have you uncluttered recently and know the freedom of not letting possessions own you?”]

What would you take with you if there was limited space in your car?

[Tweet “What would you take with you if there was limited space in your car?”]

What does it mean to store up your treasures in heaven?

Good discussion questions to have with your mentee, spouse, ponder yourself, or let me know in a comment.

I’ve just spent a month going over these in my mind and praying over them, and soon we’ll find out if even the little I’m holding onto will actually fit in the car.

Here’s a virtual tour of my former writing retreat. If you know of anyone who would enjoy a restful, secluded mountain retreat, please share.

Do you have your copy yet of Everyday Brave?

October 28, 2019
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Is Your Church Being Invaded?

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Is Your Church Being Inaded?

Since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden, Satan’s sole purpose has been to destroy God’s kingdom on earth and overtake the world with evil and his tactical invasion is succeeding, not just in the world, but also in the church.

In the past, Satan’s tactics to divide churches were things like, chairs vs. pews. Hymns vs. contemporary music. Guitars and drums vs. pianos and organs. A young pastor or a seasoned pastor? Central campus or satellite campuses? These strategies of Satan seem trivial compared to today’s divisive issues that attack the central heartbeat and foundation of Christianity. Satan has methodically and effectively:

  • Changed God’s definition of marriage. Shockingly, certain denominations embrace gay marriage and gay clergy and it’s dividing their churches.
  • Legalized the killing of unborn and born babies—many of whom might have been Christian leaders, presidents, pastors, evangelists, parents, and loud voices in the wilderness.
  • Removed God, prayer, and Bibles from schools.
  • Eliminated God from the public square.

What has the church done to stop any of this? Very little.

Instead of the church influencing culture, the culture is influencing the church.

So is it any wonder that we see Satan zeroing in for a strategic blow: destroying unity in the church body and causing bitter divisions even among evangelicals.

Liberal politicians and commentators tout that Bible-believing Christians haven’t kept up with world changes and are thus becoming extinct. There’s no longer a universal definition of evangelical. The current political arena is revealing many shades of Evangelicals and Christians in what traditionally was simply, “the church.” Some Christians find it necessary to distinguish themselves as “gospel Christians” or “Bible-believing Christians.”

For a fantastic discussion on the biblical meaning and foundation of Evangelical Christians, and what liberal secularism will mean for our country if it takes over, watch this interview with Mark Levin and Pastor John Hagee, “Secularizing of America Will Lead to Heartache and Chaos.”

In Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, I warn of Satan’s impending invasion of the church if believers, who comprise God’s church, don’t take a firm stand against the devil’s schemes (Eph. 6:18):

Satan won’t like you making a concerted effort to remember God. Satan wants you to forget God’s goodness. Let that sink in a minute. If you forget God and his role in your life, then Satan has you just where he wants you. Satan’s target is believers. He doesn’t care about those who love the world because he already has them in his grip. He focuses on luring believers to love something else more than they love God. Satan wants to break God’s heart. Unfortunately, he seems to be succeeding in many areas. If he can get believers to look to the world’s ways, and forget God’s ways, Satan smirks.

Satan’s five strategic tactics to destroy churches with worldliness invading holiness.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” —John 10:10

Secularism

In an article in the Washington Post, Michelle Boorestein quoted Pastor Rick Scarborough, who is trying to politically mobilize evangelical voters: “Evangelicals are so divided….It’s because we are living in a growing age of secularism that is forcing itself on people who hold traditional values . . . .Some frame the split as Christian pragmatists vs. Christian idealists.”

No one, not even Satan, can force secularism or pragmatism on people who stay true to biblical values and principles. It’s a choice between compromise or commitment.

Satan is hijacking high-profile liberal pastors, speakers, authors, and several mainline denominations who expound that: the Bible isn’t inerrant or relevant, God is a myth, Jesus is a legend, and the church needs to catch up with the culture and abandon God’s Word regarding sin.

Culture never trumps Scripture.

Those who call themselves “progressive/liberal Christians” defiantly ignore Jesus’s warning that Christians are in the world, but not of the world. And Jesus didn’t come to conform to the culture; he came to reform the culture.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. —Romans 12:2

Selfishness

The center of all divisiveness is selfishness and pride. We want things our way, the way we think is right. The church often doesn’t agree on what Christ wants for His church.

No one likes admitting they’re wrong, but the heart of Christianity is admitting mistakes and misconceptions. Selfish pride is at the root of arguments, dissention, hurt feelings, gossip, and complaining. God hates pride; Satan loves it.

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.—1 John 2:16

Sin

When was the last time you heard a sermon on what Scripture calls sin? Parishioners often want a pastor who doesn’t challenge them. How many in congregations today are living a sinful life without feeling any pangs of remorse because the church isn’t confronting them? How many pastors are afraid of retaliation if they call homosexuality, living together, adultery, abortion, lying, or cheating a sin?

Satan is the father of sin and he has done well when the church cowers in fear of being called judgmental, haters, prejudice, legalists and the latest, racist. The very foundation of the church is that Christians confess their sins, repent, ask for forgiveness and turn their lives over to Jesus.

Why did Jesus have to endure the painful cross for forgiveness of our sins if the church now refuses to call sinning wrong? Jesus loves all people, but he hates sin—“the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).

If a church doesn’t know how to love the sinner without embracing the sin, it may abandon the sinner or avoid confronting them thus condoning their sin.

Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!—Matthew 18:7

Scandal

Pastors, church leaders, and prominent Christians succumb to moral or financial failures. Some even lose all hope and commit suicide. Churches don’t always have, or enforce, a system of accountability and mentoring at every level of leadership. Church staff may think they’re safe and above needing protective measures, and that’s right where Satan wants them with a target on their back. When one of these Christian leaders or someone in their family falls, the media and many Christians and fellow pastors are quick to voice opinions and denounce them publically. The church may not respond biblically, which is why nonbelievers characterize Christians as the only group that “eats its own.”

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.—Galatians 6:1

Social Acceptance

Many voices are screaming louder than the church, which in its attempt to be culturally relevant, may widen the road that Jesus said is narrow. Political correctness and ideological inclusiveness overshadows biblical truthfulness.

The church should only seek the exclusive acceptance of, and answer to, the Head of the Church—Jesus Christ.

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.—John 15:19

Sensationalism

Cultural Christianity creates an entertainment church, emphasizing popular people more than Holy God. Churches try the latest trend rather than leading from the Holy Spirit. Concert-style worship can detract from the purpose of musical worship—inviting in the Holy Spirit and drawing close to God, an atmosphere Satan hates.

Satan loves it when earplugs accompany the bulletin, little children plug their ears, and only those on stage sing. Or people don’t bring their Bibles to church because it’s too dark to read them.

For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. —Eph. 5:8-9 NLT

What should the church do to combat Satan’s divisive encroaching tactics?

Believers must agree to stand together united as the Christian church—led by Christ and based on biblical truths—and fight Satan using prayer and the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, as our battle plan and strong fortress.

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. 18 They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.

But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. —Jude 1:17-21

Otherwise, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought” (1 Cor. 1:10).

Is your church being invaded?

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July 29, 2019
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Abortion: A Crime of Passion

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With all the discussion lately about abortion, the focus has been on the depravity of late term abortion now legalized in some states, and the life-saving efforts of other states to eliminate abortion completely. But what I haven’t heard in the public discourse is what leads to abortion in the first place: sex!

No one seems to want to touch the underlying cause of 59+ million babies murdered since Roe vs Wade became law at a time of sexual revolution with the advent of birth control pills and the availability of abortion to anyone who wanted it, regardless of age or reason. Though, originally abortion was supposed to be safe and rare, with the advent of Planned Parenthood it became another form of birth control and frequent. Approximately 20% of pregnancies end by abortion!

Boys and girls, men and women, felt the freedom to have sex with whomever they wanted whenever they wanted because if they got pregnant, all they had to do was find the money to get an abortion. And many girls and women have stories that they didn’t stop having indiscriminate unprotected sex after their first abortion. No, they did it again and maybe again…

Feminist actress Alyssa Milano by her own admission wanted women to go on a sex strike when Georgia passed a law prohibiting abortion after a detected heartbeat. She said women couldn’t afford to get pregnant because they couldn’t have an abortion. In other words, abortion, not protection, is your failsafe way to deal with the product of conception: a baby! “Our reproductive rights are being erased. Until women have legal control over our own bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy. Join me by not having sex until we get bodily autonomy back.” So says Alyssa Milano.

What she and many others fail to address is that a few moments of sexual passion and pleasure can lead to a lifetime of living with the murder of their own babies. Today, you hear women, especially liberal actresses and politicians, celebrating the death of their babies, but I surmise that they’re actually angry, hurt, and anguished over what they’ve done. If they can get a group together with similar feelings, they can live in denial knowing they’re not alone. They find comfort in commonality. Like the old adage, “misery loves company.”

[Tweet “Today, you hear women, especially liberal actresses and politicians, actually celebrating the death of their babies, but they’re actually angry, hurt, and anguished over what they’ve done”]

My friend Patti Smith wrote a blog about the devastation of her own abortions: Nobody Told Me the Truth. Maybe that’s you and you were misled or misinformed. Patti learned that God is the God of forgiveness as she learned the truth. I’ve heard good things about Project Rachel: Hope After Abortion. After your own healing, like Patti, God may use your past to help another woman not let it become her future.

[Tweet “Before ultrasounds and heartbeat monitoring, women bought into the lie they were told that it’s just a blob of cells that can’t feel pain.”]

Before ultrasounds and heartbeat monitoring, women bought into the lie they were told that it’s just a blob of cells that can’t feel pain. But now, we know none of that is true. We can see the baby developing and hear the heartbeat at six weeks. We know, without a doubt, that life begins at conception. Yet there are still many lobbying for killing that human being, even after it takes its first breath! Inhuman barbaric depravity is actually celebrated in Congress and some state governments.

[Tweet “The Devil tries to seduce with deception by calling the baby a “fetus,” which sounds clinical and not like a human being.”]

The Devil tries to seduce with deception by calling the baby a “fetus,” which sounds clinical and not like a human being. But I’ve never heard a woman say she’s pregnant with a fetus or a blob of cells. She says she’s going to have a baby: a precious, fragile, defenseless human being that she can “choose” to murder or let live.

Liberals and abortion advocates try to couch the killing of babies by using terms like: A woman’s right to choose. Reproductive rights. Control over our own bodies. Healthcare. A decision between the woman and her doctor. Prochoice. A war on women.

Even a SCOTUS said you can’t call a pregnant woman a “mother”!  A woman who exercises her constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy is not a mother” – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If she’s not a mother what is she?

Read a father’s reply to Ginsburg’s outrageous statement as he discusses that even babies who die in miscarriage still have a mommy and daddy.

[Tweet “Abortion is not a constitutional right.”]

Abortion is not a constitutional right. The Constitution says everyone has a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that includes everyone with a beating heart. You would think a Supreme Court Judge would know that. But that’s how delusional some people have become. Another sly deception is to confuse by denying biology that every baby has both a mother and a father.

Let’s look at some common deceptions.

  1. “A woman’s right to choose.” In 99.9% of situations, a woman does have a right to choose . . . if she’s going to have sex or not. That’s her choice.
  2. “Reproductive rights” start with the right to say yes or no to sex. Sex leads to reproduction. A scientific and biological fact and a right God gave to every man and woman who chooses to have sex.
  3. “Healthcare.” There’s nothing healthy for a woman to have a baby poisoned, burned, dismembered, or sucked out of her womb.
  4. “It’s my body.” It’s not her own body. She didn’t create herself. God did by her parents having sex to create her. Then she used her body to have sex and create a body separate from hers with its own heartbeat, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, brain, organs, skin, arms, legs, sensitivity to pain, and cry.
  5. “Bodily autonomy is a human right.” Autonomy does allow a woman to choose to have sex with her body, but when she creates another body, that little body has autonomy and a human right also.
  6. “Abortion is morally good.” When murder becomes morally good and justified, we’ve definitely regressed to barbarism and savagery. Promiscuous sex is morally wrong. Two wrongs do not make a right.
  7. “It’s a decision between a woman and her doctor.” When a girl or woman goes into Planned Parenthood, they don’t see the doctor until they’re in stirrups and he’s killing her baby. And often it’s not even a doctor performing the abortion.
  8. “Prochoice.” The argument is between prolife and prodeath advocates! That’s something no one wants to say.
  9. “A war on women.” Hmm. How about we stop the war on babies, both male and female.

Abortion is a crime of passion

Why is the Movie Industry so Pro Abortion?

That answer is clear: money. Sex sells. Sex leads to unwanted pregnancy, which often leads to abortion. So Planned Parenthood, Hollywood, elites, and liberals are in the Devil’s circle.

[Tweet “Sex sells. Sex leads to unwanted pregnancy, which often leads to abortion. So Planned Parenthood, Hollywood, elites, and liberals are in the Devil’s circle.”]

Almost every movie and most TV programs show couples going on a date and having sex. Maybe not even the date first. Entertainment exploits explicit sex. Everyone sleeps together, hook ups, casual promiscuous sex is presented as the norm, and sadly, it’s become the norm. You don’t see women saying no or concerned with pregnancy.

[Tweet “Virginity is only said with respect at Christmas with the “Virgin Mary.””]

Virginity is only said with respect at Christmas with the “Virgin Mary.” Young people often don’t even know what virgin stands for today. Girls and women who’ve had multiple sex partners are still married in white, maybe pregnant or carrying their baby and no one blinks at it. I saw a program with girls picking out wedding dresses and one of them laughed, “Maybe I’m pregnant.” It was funny, not remorseful. I applaud the women who choose to keep their babies, I just wish they had also chosen to save God’s gift of virginity for the man they want to spend the rest of their life with because you can only give the gift of virginity away once.

[Tweet “Today’s culture considers abstinence until marriage archaic and laughable and scoffs at anyone who dares to suggest it, or chooses to live by God’s moral principles.”]

Today’s culture considers abstinence until marriage archaic and laughable and scoffs at anyone who dares to suggest it, or chooses to live by God’s moral principles.

And that brings us to a place those of us who have lived a while would never have expected possible in America: infanticide.

Abortion has become the accepted crime of unbridled passion and lust. Sex for murder.

[Tweet “Abortion has become the accepted crime of unbridled passion and lust. Sex for murder.”]

There’s only one entity who could bring us to this despicable time in history: Satan.

[Tweet “No matter how anyone tries to twist God’s Word, he designed sex to be between a married man and woman. That’s it! No exceptions.  “]

No matter how anyone tries to twist God’s Word, he designed sex to be between a married man and woman. That’s it! No exceptions. Everyone who is having sex any other way is sinning. I didn’t make that rule, God did. Many today try to make God into their own image the way they want to live, but you’ll always be going against God’s will for you.

God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature . . . Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!” Gen. 1:27-28 The Message

There’s no right way to do the wrong thing. There’s no justification for having sex and killing a baby because the sex was convenient, but the baby is inconvenient.

So what can you do about these atrocities?

  •  Let your voice be heard in your state’s legislature.
  • Be a voice for the voiceless. Boldly and unashamedly stand for prolife as an abolitionist.
  • Mentor women who are having indiscriminate sex, considering an abortion, or had an abortion. I give ideas about how to do this in my book Mentoring for All Seasons.
  • If you’re having sex outside of marriage, stop now!

[Tweet “Our culture today is playing God by choosing who can live and who should die. That’s not going to end well.”]

Our culture today is playing God by choosing who can live and who should die. That’s not going to end well.

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

8 A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’[a] which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”

9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand,10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”

12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

Revelation 14:6-12

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June 3, 2019
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What’s Wrong with Woke?!

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What's wrong with woke?!

I was listening to the news recently when I heard the word “woke.” I’m not sure now what the reference was but it peaked my curiosity so I started doing research and once I did, I began to see the origin of the words so frequently thrown around today: racism, white privilege, white supremacy, misogyny, homophobic.

And who do you typically hear using those terms? Progressive liberals, the Left, Democrats, and the mainstream media. That alone should be our first clue that somethings wrong with “woke.”

Apparently, woke originated with Black Lives Matter and means being conscious of racial discrimination in society (dating back to the 60’s) and other forms of oppression and injustice as defined by liberals.

[Tweet “Instead of woke just being a word that signaled awareness of injustice or racial tension, it became a word of action.”]

Instead of woke just being a word that signaled awareness of injustice or racial tension, it became a word of action. Activists were woke and called on others to stay woke.

A “woke society” tries telling us what we’re to say and think. Social identity groups determine what’s racist and discrimination. Blame is attributed to white (especially straight) men, or Christians and conservatives, who are actually being discriminated against. But no one is woke to that!

And worse, “woke” has led to a victim mentality that justifies using bullying, violence, riots, Antifa, lying, and sadly today anti-Semitism. And hoaxes like Jessie Smollett creating racism where it doesn’t exist with no repercussions to him. Anyone can escape responsibility from wrongdoing by claiming to be a victim of something . . . anything! Even though they’re often the initiator of the offensive action.

[Tweet “Identity politics is where skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or perversion determines who should get elected or get a job instead of those who are best qualified.”]

Identity politics is where skin color, gender, sexual orientation, or perversion determines who should get elected or get a job instead of those who are best qualified. Tucker Carlson pointed out on his show that this was happening with Traffic Controllers where they weren’t choosing the most skilled men and women to guide airplanes in our skies, but choosing from race and gender quotas even though people might not be skilled. Thanks to his making this known, that policy has changed.

Or what about colleges not admitting students with the best grades and qualifications, but meeting race and gender quotas. And why isn’t anyone “woke” to the fact that college professors are now almost exclusively liberals discriminating against conservatives? Where’s the unity and equality there?

“Woke” schools are factoring in “Adversity Scores”  to SAT scores.  Where you live or what your parents do, race and gender, or perceived “privilege” undermines hard work.

Did you wonder why some of the Democrat presidential candidates are talking about reparations? That’s part of the “woke” movement too. Even though you had no part in sins of the past, somebody’s gotta to pay, so it might as well be you! Even though many paid the price already with their lives.

Corporate blaming, instead of individual responsibility, has become the “woke” norm. Group think rules.

[Tweet “Corporate blaming, instead of individual responsibility, has become the norm. Group think rules.”]

It always amuses me that most of the people talking about “white privilege” are white themselves. And they have high-paying privileged jobs on television or in government. Have they looked in the mirror lately? Worse yet is when they apologize for being white as if they had any control over the color of their skin. No one does. It’s how God made each of us.

Anyone who apologizes and changes their position to whatever they think the crowd wants, has no character or guiding  beliefs.

[Tweet “Anyone who apologizes and changes their position to whatever they think the crowd wants, has no character or guiding beliefs.”]

Or another term thrown around recklessly is “male toxicity!” Satan would love us to demean men and make them ineffective in our society, in our homes, in our churches. And what exactly does that mean anyway? Are we now going to blame white men for all the troubles of the world?

[Tweet “The heart of this woke movement is let’s blame someone, anyone, instead of uniting in making our society better.”]

And that’s really the heart of this woke movement. Let’s blame someone, anyone, instead of uniting in making our society better. The media and progressive mantra is: let’s divide on contrived issues. Let’s keep unrest, disunity, upheaval, and pit the American people against each other because that sells. That intimidates. That creates hate, misunderstanding, injustice, anarchy, tension division. That makes news. That deceives people. That gets votes.

[Tweet “The woke movement is trying to police what we can say by forcing on us ‘inclusive language’”]

The woke movement is trying to police what we can say by forcing on us ‘inclusive language’ prohibiting the use of male and female pronouns and even the word ‘mankind.’ Microsoft is introducing a new “AI-powered [artificial intelligence] online tool designed to improve user’s writing by offering inclusive language replacements.” You can read more about this in the article “Microsoft wants you to use approved political speech—this is a real threat to our freedom.” The heading in FOX News was “Microsoft’s insidious AI Scheme to make you ‘woke’ another word for socially correct determined by liberals.”

Woke In the Church

[Tweet “Alarmingly the “social justice woke” ideology isn’t just part of the liberal progressive movement, prominent evangelicals are starting to use language like white privilege, skin color, and misogyny in the church.”]

But alarmingly the “social justice woke” ideology is not just part of the liberal progressive movement, prominent evangelicals are starting to use language like white privilege, skin color, and misogyny in the church. Promoting “LGBT victimhood” instead of loving gays to repentance and Christ’s forgiveness. God will hold every church, denomination, pastor, and Christian that fosters, promotes, and denies sin, accountable for doing the exact opposite of what the church’s responsibility is: salvation from sin not confirmation of sin.

[Tweet “Satan uses “woke” against society. We need to awake to the founding principles of God in our country.”]

Satan uses “woke” against society. We need to awake to the founding principles of God in our country. Awake, arise, and let our voices be heard. Let’s wake up our country to revival. Pastor Greg Laurie describes revival in his devotion “A Prescription for Revival”

A revival occurs when the church comes back to life, when it becomes what it was always meant to be. It’s a returning to passion. I think many times we overly mystify the idea of revival. We don’t really need to. Another word we could use for revival is restoration, and that is what the church needs . . . We can’t organize a revival, but we can agonize for it in prayer. We can call on God to send it.

[Tweet “Many churches today seem asleep to addressing personal sin, which knows no color, gender, or race.”]

Many churches today seem asleep to addressing personal sin, which knows no color, gender, or race. Or protecting the real victims in our society, unborn babies. When’s the last time you heard a sermon on the evils of child sacrifice today: abortion. Pleasure and self-gratification determining life or death.

Or Christian businesses sued, slandered, or boycotted for adhering to Christian principles. Isn’t that abuse of religious freedom? Why aren’t evangelicals speaking out on this abuse of power?

Instead of trying to attach moral value or injustice to social groups, let’s value the lives of individuals because every group is comprised of unique individuals.

[Tweet “We need to wake up to the fact that each of us is responsible for our own sins and actions.”]

We need to wake up to the fact that each of us is responsible for our own sins and actions. No one can make us sin. We have a choice to go with the crowd or stand up for what we know is right. That’s what we’re accountable for before Christ. That’s the Gospel message. Only Jesus can forgive our sins, we can’t work them out, legislate them out, vote them out. That’s what we need to be woke to today.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God since the beginning of time. That’s why:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

As Christ-followers, if we want to influence our culture, we won’t allow ourselves to be governed or influenced by popular views or public opinion. Jesus was never socially correct and He only wants His people “woke” to His Words and His commands.

Let’s give “woke” a new definition and meaning:

Warmhearted

Openhearted

Kindhearted

Eternal-hearted

 Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. He asked me, “What do you see?” Zechariah 4:1-2

What do you see in our world that you need to be woke up to today?

You might also want to read my blog post: Social Justice is NOT the Gospel.

If you received this blog by email, please leave a message here.

*Opening picture courtesy of Northwest Under Attack Facebook

May 20, 2019
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5 Examples of How to Join God in Bringing Good Out of Evil Intent

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How Does God Want Us to Bring Good Out of Evil?

I struggled with what to write this week. As I prayed, God kept bringing to mind two thoughts: Lying always backfires and evil is being exposed.

If you haven’t read my last two blog posts, I hope you will. I’ve received many encouraging comments that they might be the best I’ve ever written and to that I say, “To God be the Glory!” I honestly never know what He’s going to ask me to share with you. I pray and sit down at the computer and suddenly I have a blog post. I often read it later and am amazed at what I wrote. Only God.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Mad!

How Not Mentoring Millennials Implodes a Political Party. What Can the Church Learn?

Everyone Knows The Difference Between Good and Evil

Since Satan enticed Adam and Eve to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden, humanity has known the difference between good and evil, truth and lies.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:15-17 (NLT)

Satan: “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

Everyone, even those who choose to do evil and lie, has a conscience. They know the difference between right and wrong . . . except maybe psychopaths

It’s a matter of whether we choose to make evil or good our guiding life force. Tell the truth or lie to our own advantage. You don’t have to be a Christian to make that choice. Even unbelievers can do good and be truthful.

[Tweet “Our choices between good and evil usually come down to whether we’re self-centered or other-centered.”]

Our choices between good and evil usually come down to whether we’re self-centered or other-centered. Caring only about our own selfish desires or caring more about others than ourselves. Again, you don’t have to be a Christian to make the choice to do good, but Christians should always make that choice.

When I hear politicians and pro-choice advocates expound that every woman should have a choice with her body, I want someone to challenge them with asking, “A choice to do what? Good or evil?”

Let’s look at 5 examples of how we can join God in bringing good out of evil intents.

1. Abortion

Many agree that abortion is evil, but until recently how many really did anything about it. Yes, there were annual walks for life and pro-life advocates, but few people, even Christians, let the murder of innocent babies keep them awake at night or invade their everyday life.

Then abortion went to the next level of infanticide and everyone started taking notice. When New York approved abortion up and through delivery and lit up the city in pink to celebrate this evil, the governor of Virginia told us in graphic terms that a baby who survives an abortion could be left to die, and Congress voted to legalize infanticide . . . suddenly we were kept up at night. We were appalled. We couldn’t ignore that 50 million innocent souls are tortured to death in their mommy’s tummy every year.

[Tweet “We can’t ignore that 50 million innocent souls are tortured to death in their mommy’s tummy every year.”]

Social media lit up with graphic pictures and descriptions of the atrocities of abortion. The mainstream liberal media, as usual, wouldn’t touch the topic, but FOX News did. You’d have to be a hermit today to not know what happens to babies during abortion.

So how could this publicity about the atrocities of abortion be used for good?

Pushing the envelope to late-term abortions and infanticide has now made abortion a topic of discussion and disgust.

There’s renewed hope and fervor for overturning Roe vs Wade. We must keep the momentum going when the publicity dies down.

We can’t become complacent again while murder of innocent babies happens in our own hometowns every single day!

Women who have long suffered with the guilt of abortion have an opportunity to use their story for good by sharing their testimonies and turning the bad in their life into good by helping to save more babies. We can pray for these mothers and share with them the forgiveness that comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

A young dad who had no say in the death of his own baby when his girlfriend chose abortion, has now brought an unprecedented legal case for the rights of fathers.

We can send a message to Congress that all newborn babies should be welcomed with warmth and care, and join thousands of Americans in a End Birth Day Abortion campaign.

End birthday abortion. Stop infaniticide.

[Tweet “See the movie Unplanned releasing March 29. Tell all your friends about this movie and encourage mothers to take their teenage daughters and sons.“]

Go see the movie Unplanned releasing March 29. The true story of former Planned Parenthood Director, Abby Johnson, who suddenly saw the evils of abortion and became a pro-life advocate. A former abortion doctor has a role in the movie also.

Tell all your friends about Unplanned and encourage mothers to take their teenage daughters and sons. The movie is by the same producers who made God’s Not Dead. It has an R rating only because Hollywood promotes abortion and they’re trying to discourage people from seeing it.

[Tweet “Only God could bring out the movie Unplanned at a time when abortion is in the national discussion. We can work with God in helping publicize it.”]

Only God could bring this movie out at a time when the atrocities of all abortion is the topic of national discourse. We can work with God in helping publicize Unplanned.

[Tweet “An evil world has made killing babies a political issue. Abortion is a criminal issue. Make it your spiritual issue“]

An evil world has made killing babies a political issue. Abortion is a criminal issue. Make it your spiritual issue.

God created each baby in His image with a unique fingerprint and DNA from the moment of conception. Let’s not be satisfied until the world acknowledges this truth.

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. — Genesis 50:20 NASB

2. The Mueller Investigation

I know you’re saying, “How could that be used for good?” We’re all so sick of it and it has plagued our president since before he even took office. Now he’s vindicated!

But consider that if there had been no investigation, would we have ever known about the corruption of some in the FBI and Justice Department? Those evil men and women who chose to put their own political interests before the good of the country have been exposed.

And the lies, lies, and more lies of the mainstream liberal media and politicians during this investigation are now boomeranging on them as the Mueller report is released.

Let’s pray for a revival of honesty and truth in our government and that our country can begin to heal. Corruption would continue to be eradicated and God would be brought back into our schools. We would vote into office godly public officials. It starts with we the people!

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
    and clever in their own sight.

22 Woe to those . . . who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
    but deny justice to the innocent.”  Isaiah 5:20-21, 23

3. Democrat Presidential Candidates Running on a Platform of Socialism/Communism

I know again, how could this be good? It’s not. Socialism is evil, but the younger generation and school age kids aren’t being taught that in school. This is our chance to educate them on the evils of socialism, which leads to communism and a dictatorship.

[Tweet “We have a choice. Take action or stay silent while Democrat candidates lie about the freebies of socialism without exposing how it ruins countries.”]

Again, we have a choice. Take action or stay silent while these candidates lie about the freebies of socialism without exposing how it ruins countries and lives. Speak out against their platforms and mentor truth to the next generation. If you don’t, who will?

“For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.” 1 Peter 2:15

4. Suffering

It’s hard to find good in suffering. It’s painful. Dreadful. Costly. Debilitating. Destructive. And yet, it happens to most of us at some time in our life. We try to avoid it by taking good care of our bodies, eating healthy, exercising, and taking vitamins. But one day we can’t outrun the diagnosis that stops us in our tracks. We want to deny it, but we can’t.

While in the moment it seems all about us, maybe God actually wants us to use our suffering to help others.

When I first had breast cancer, I wanted to go through surgery and treatment and then move on with my life. The last thing I wanted to do was identify as a breast cancer survivor. Then God took hold of my heart and I wrote the book I wished I had going through my cancer journey, Dear God, They Say It’s Cancer: A Companion Guide for Women on the Breast Cancer Journey. I’ve had many women tell me it was like God and I were walking along beside them during their breast cancer.

I’ll never know how many women God has used to turn evil cancer into a blessing for other breast cancer sisters.

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” Colossians 1:24

5. Sin

No matter how good we try to be, the evils of sin enter our life often through our wrong choices. But here’s the Good News: at Calvary God traded evil for good. The horrible death of Jesus Christ by evil men, and His ultimate resurrection, ushered in the amazing opportunity of salvation for everyone who chooses to believe in Jesus and receive forgiveness for his or her sins.

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 NLT

[Tweet “For believers, evil doesn’t have the last word in our life. No matter how evil the world becomes, we know that this world is not our final home.”]

For believers, evil doesn’t have the last word in our life. No matter how evil the world becomes, we know that this world is not our final home. We must share that Good News with everyone we know who might not be joining us in eternity.

The best way to exemplify the goodness of our Holy God is to let our Light shine in the midst of a dark unholy world.

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life . . . .” Philippians 2:14-16

We each have a choice:

Stay silent about evil or expose it.

Turn our backs on evil or work with God to bring good out of it.

“Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.” Romans 12:21(NLT)

Will you share in the comments where you’ve worked with God to bring good out of what Satan meant for evil.

If you received this blog by email, please leave a comment here.

You might also enjoy a slide how I wrote for Crosswalk.com 10 Powerful Gifts to Pass to the Next Generation. 

March 25, 2019
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10 Things You Can Do In a World Gone Mad

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__Holy Nectar from a hummingbird and God

Each morning we wake up and thank God for another new day.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Mad

Then we look at the news headlines in disbelief that Satan is getting bolder and more visible. Evil seems to be winning and prevailing in a country founded on Judeo Christian values.

[Tweet “We’ve gone from most people believing in the 10 Commandments as a solid foundation for behavior to a world that’s traded evil for good”]

We’ve gone from most people believing in the 10 Commandments as a basis for behavior to a world that now finds the 10 Commandments offensive and has replaced good with evil. Truth with lies.  Moral with immoral. Like in the days of Judges, everyone does what seems right in their own eyes. There is no recognized central truth. Truth is whatever you want it to be. Your truth is all that matters.

“You can be whatever you want to be,” used to be an encouragement parents gave to their children to follow their dreams. Now it means children are “gender neutral” until “they” determine whatever sex “they” want to be regardless of their scientific biologic sex.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Mad

More Madness

  • Legalized infanticide and late term abortions.
  • Gay marriage.
  • Young children who haven’t even experienced the hormonal changes of puberty are receiving hormones to change their biological sex.
  • Transgender athletes allowed to compete with their new gender identification, even in the Olympics. Yes, that means biological men are competing against biological women.
  • Political leaders stump for Socialism and Communism in America.
  • A freshmen Congresswoman suggests we eliminate air travel, cows, cars, hamburgers, and having children and seasoned legislators support this ludicrous fictional fable.
  • A Congresswoman denounces Israel and Congress doesn’t denounce her.
  • A sixteen-year old high school student is slandered and defamed by the mainstream media and celebrities for standing still and smiling while being harassed because he had participated in a pro-life rally and was wearing a MAGA hat.
  • A celebrity fabricates a hate-crime for greed, fame, and incrimination of supporters of our president, and fools the media with his lies.
  • Celebrity parents pay enormous bribes in a lying fraudulent scam to get their children into prestigious colleges.
  • A Democrat presidential contender encourages smoking marijuana to experience joy and legalizing prostitution.
  • Another inexperienced liberal Democrat throws his hat into the 2020 contenders. The newbie has no platform and his only claim to fame is that he swears a lot, has a DUI, fanaticized about killing children, was part of a hacking group, and can skateboard across a stage.
  • Media outlets no longer present news facts, but instead spew partisan opinions and biased liberal propaganda.
  • Churches of all faiths need armed guards.

I could fill this blog with cultural madness, and as soon as this blog posts, there will be even more shocking headlines.

We live in tumultuous times in the church and in the world. Confusion and fear reigns among newer believers who don’t have a solid foundation in biblical truth to help them discern evil from good, lies from truths, abnormal from normal.

How do you mentor the next generation when it seems we are in the end times?

[Tweet “How do you mentor the next generation when it seems we are in the end times?”]

How do you help young people stand bravely by the Bible when even many churches and pastors are deviating from God’s Word?

[Tweet “How do you help young people stand bravely by the Bible when even many churches and pastors are deviating from God’s Word?”]

Each generation has a predisposition to look at God as the God of the past who doesn’t understand the current culture. That’s why I’m a passionate proponent of mentoring and living out Titus 2:1-6 where spiritually older men and women receive the charge to teach, train, and model the Christian life to the next generation so they won’t be deceived and dissuaded.

Your job is to speak out on the things that make for solid doctrine. Guide older men into lives of temperance, dignity, and wisdom, into healthy faith, love, and endurance. Guide older women into lives of reverence so they end up as neither gossips nor drunks, but models of goodness. By looking at them, the younger women will know how to love their husbands and children, be virtuous and pure, keep a good house, be good wives. We don’t want anyone looking down on God’s Message because of their behavior. Also, guide the young men to live disciplined lives. Titus 2:1-6 The Message

To understand the full impact of Titus 2:1-6, we need to read the issues Paul was addressing in the previous verses. It sounds a lot like our world today:

Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.—Titus 1:15-16 NIV

[Tweet “There’s a steady increase in crime and decrease in morality in our culture because many believers are failing to take up the Titus 2 mantel”]

Today, we see a steady increase in crime and decrease in morality in our culture because many believers are failing to take up the Titus 2 mantel—one Paul and I call the job description for every Christian man and woman. A consequence of a generation not accepting the charge of Titus 2 is a liberal progressive society aggressively challenging Christianity and long-held truths governing our society for over 2,000 years.

Just as the apostle Paul saw the need for mentors in his day, we desperately need mentors today. Yet, many who should be stepping up to mentor and teach the next generation are falling away from Titus 2 just as quickly as our world is falling away from God.

[Tweet “How do we ordinary Christians make a difference in today’s confused and fallen world?”]

So how do we ordinary Christians make a difference in today’s confused and fallen world? We follow Paul’s teaching to Pastor Titus. As mentors, we speak, teach, and train the truth to the spiritually younger, straight from the Bible.

10 Things You Can Do in a World Gone Made

We read our Bibles and let God’s Word speak, teach, and train the truth to us so we can respond to life’s issues from God’s perspective. Together mentors and mentees learn spiritual wisdom and scriptural principles to help navigate the moral decline of our culture, and in some cases, the foundation of the Christian faith.

Here’s What We Can Do

We can pray for revival.

We can pray for everyone blinded by lack of faith in God!

We can pray for the victims of evil.

We can ask God what He wants His people, to do. What action does He want us to take?

We can share Jesus openly in this urgent time of uncertainty.

We can reassure our children, grandchildren, and mentees that they can make a difference in this world.

We can live as godly role models in a world that has forsaken God.

We can live by the Bible in our personal lives and share the Truth that salvation is free by the grace of God.

We can emphasize that we don’t follow God’s laws because we have to; we follow them because we have Jesus in our heart and they can too.

Here’s What We Can’t Do

We can’t lose hope.

We can’t ignore what’s happening around us.

We can’t live fearfully.

We can’t be silent.

We won’t become relics if we stay relevant.

[Tweet “Jesus didn’t come to conform to the culture; he came to reform the culture.”]

Jesus didn’t come to conform to the culture; he came to reform the culture. Now we’re to go and do likewise. Are you up for it? I pray your answer is “Yes, Lord, Yes. Here am I, use me!”

If you received this blog by email, please leave your comments here.

Here’s a slide show I wrote for Crosswalk.com that also posted today. I encourage you to read it: 10 Powerful Gifts to Pass On to the Next Generation.

March 18, 2019
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Words Matter

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Words Matter When You're Using Substitutes for Profanity

“Dude!” My thirteen-year-old granddaughter said to me. It caught me off guard and then we both laughed. It’s a word she and her peers use talking to each other. I think she says it so often, that it didn’t even connect she was talking to Grammie. I took it as a compliment that she considered me “one of the girls.”

But there are other words that I do take issue with and I take the time to explain to all the kids why they’re not acceptable or appropriate. The culture has substituted commonly used words for vulgar words, and when you look up the definitions, you learn that they have the same profane meaning.

I don’t want my grandsons and granddaughters to become accustomed to using these substitute profanity words, usually said in anger towards someone else or something they’ve done themselves that makes them mad. Or other times, they’re using what I call “lazy language” instead of expressing their feelings. And it’s not just kids. Christian adults do it too.

[Tweet “Nowhere in the Bible will you see God approving of us using worldly language. “]

Nowhere in the Bible will you see God approving of us using “worldly” language. In fact, he says we’re supposed to be in the world, but not of the world. (John 17:15-17) He wants us to be examples of how to deal with frustration or anger without resorting to profanity or words that mean the same thing.

You may think I’m over the top on this, but I don’t think living a pure and righteous life for the world to see—and teaching the next generation to do likewise—is going too far. God tells us to, “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22).

Jesus warns, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.'” (Matt. 12:34). So whatever is in our heart, is what comes out of our mouth. If you hear yourself, or your kids, saying some of the following words, do a heart check. What caused the outburst? Why are you that angry? Why have the world’s euphemisms slipped into your . . . or their . . . vocabulary?

There will be some who will say that using these words are the only way to reach the next generation, and to that I would say . . . that’s a rationalization directly from Satan, not from God. Or Satan convinces you that if you don’t talk trash, kids will not think you’re relevant. Try and find one example of the Bible making that point. Instead, it says:

“But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting.” Matthew 18:6-7 (NLT)

When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Jesus didn’t start cursing at him. Jesus used the Sword of the Spirit, The Word of God.

So I know you’ll be surprised to see some of these words in a blog from me, but it is disturbing how often we hear them causally used, even by Christians. I’m going to use xxx for the vile word. But sadly, I know like me, your mind will fill in the word.

I’ve looked up these definitions of commonly used offensive euphemisms or phrases.

For starters this is what euphemism means:

noun 
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
  1. “friggin’,” “frickin’,” or “freakin’”

“Frickin’ is a minced oath, because it has no real meaning of its own but is used because of its sound similarity with “fxxxing.” In other words, “fxxxing” has to be common before anyone would know what you were saying when you say “fricking.”

It was a vulgar word, not used in polite society, but not originally a swear word as such. Nowadays “frigging” is used as a euphemism for “fxxxing,” both the act and the word. It is a swear word but not an extreme one.”

I’m sorry, but there is no degree of swearing. Profanity is profanity. You notice how the definition says it was considered a vulgar word in the past but not now. The culture has normalized it, as well as the “F” word it replaces, and you hear these words used all the time.

  1. “Crap”—is usually said in anger or frustration. Or to describe something undesirable. When you look at the definitions below, it’s clear this has become a more “acceptable” word for another “four-letter” word. It could also mean describing clutter or useless items. Why not just say clutter or junk?

noun

  1. something of extremely poor quality
  2. excrement

verb: defecate.

Pretty disgusting!

Blasphemy 
noun
  1. “OMG”—This stands for “Oh my God” and is usually used as an exclamation not in reverence. It’s taking the Lord’s name in vain, unless used to praise the Lord. Like Satan did with Eve, he whispers in your ear, “Did God really say you shouldn’t say this?” Actually, yes, He did. Ex 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”
  2. “Jesus!” Or “Jesus Christ!” Yes our precious Lord and Savior’s name when said in frustration, anger, or to exclaim about something unbelievable, not respectful, is profane blasphemy. Recently, Tim Tebow a vocal Christian athlete displayed an amazing golf swing and someone yelled, “Jesus!” Tebow’s quick response, “loves you.”
    [Tweet “Tim Tebow a vocal Christian hit an amazing golf swing and someone yelled, “Jesus!” Tebow’s quick response, “loves you.””]

That’s exactly what we all want to become proficient at doing. Coming up with a response that’s not offensive or scolding, but let’s the other person know in a kind way it wasn’t appropriate.

As for our children and grandchildren, we want to remind them of Proverbs 8:8, “All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.” Like every area of raising children, train them in the way they should talk.

[Tweet “Like every area of raising children, train them in the way they should talk.”]

These are just a few words that matter and I’m sure you could come up with more.

What other word do you hear that are inappropriate for Christians?

Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Ps 19:14

You might also want to read my blog “Oh Be Careful Little Ears What You Hear.”

If you received this blog by email, leave a comment here.

February 25, 2019
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What to Do with Our Anger Over Evil

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What to Do With Our Anger Over Evil

In all my years on Facebook, I can never remember using the angry emoji . . . until the past few weeks, and I see that I’m not alone. None of the other emoticons express how strongly I feel about the atrocities of people celebrating infanticide, the outrageous behavior of legislators, and the liberal left lobbying to bring Marxist, Nazi Socialism and Communism into America!

[Tweet “The liberal agenda is like we went to sleep one night in the USA we love and woke up in the Twilight Zone.”]

The liberal agenda is like we went to sleep one night in the USA we love and woke up in the Twilight Zone.

While watching our grandkids a few weeks ago, Dave and I got hooked on the TV program Manifest where an entire plane disappeared for five years and then suddenly reappears. The passengers haven’t aged, but the world has changed during their absence. Many of them feel a “calling” they can’t ignore to help people. The program leaves you wanting to see the next episode, but at the same time it’s all unbelievable.

Except for the not aging part, as we hear and see unbelievable craziness in our country, I keep thinking this all has to be a nightmare. I’ll wake up and we will have returned to the American democracy I grew up in and loved. But I get up, have a cup of coffee, check out the day’s news, and realize it’s even worse than the nightmare, but I feel a definite calling to do something about it!

[Tweet “Liberal atheistic progressivism has been steadily creeping into our country.”]

The Current Craziness Didn’t Just Happen

Liberal atheistic progressivism has been steadily creeping into our country. The idea that government rules the people and God is a myth.

Statistics about Planned Parenthood’s increase in abortions and the undercover videos of their doctors and administrators casually talking about selling baby parts alarmed us for a few weeks. Then it’s back to daily lives.

The police force we all depend on to protect us and maintain safe environments, the first people we call when our lives are threatened, became the object of ridicule and their lives threatened. They receive orders to “stand down” when conservatives are being attacked.

Wealthy athletes, who made a fortune from their God-given gift of excelling at a sport, kneel for the flag and boycott the National Anthem that represents the American freedom that allows them to be so disloyal to the country that gave them fame.

[Tweet “A “New Green Deal” sounds like a Sci-Fi novel. The location can’t be the USA?”]

A “New Green Deal” sounds like a Sci-Fi novel. The location can’t possibly be the United States?!

It all brings back memories of the Left Behind series, which foretells the coming of the Anti-Christ who takes over during the Tribulation. Honestly, that doesn’t seem too far fetched or far off today with all the push towards globalism.

The Anti-Christ hasn’t appeared yet, but there’s a spirit of anti-Christ among us and Satan is emboldened. “Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared.” 1 John 2:18

And so we feel angry because it seems like the world is spinning out of control and there’s so little we can do about it. Along with the angry emoji’s, I also see a number of crying faces. 😢

When you read articles like a testimony from a former abortionist nurse who was pro-choice until instructed to put a live baby, who survived an abortion, into a room, shut the door, and let it cry itself to death. . . now you’re crying and angry.

What Should We Pray?

In my blog of January 28, Don’t Just Cry, Do Something, I listed 14 things we can do after we’ve had a good cry. Many have shared this blog. Prayer is the first thing I list, but what do we pray? Romans 8:26 assures us, “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”

Read your Bible as you pray. God leads us through His Word to His will as the Holy Spirit prompts us when we ask, “God what do you want me to do?” Then we do it!

One of the prayers that the Bible tells us to pray is hard when we’re angry, but I know many of you are praying for those we’re watching do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![b] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends,[c]how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matt 5:43-48

Jesus Was Angry

Righteous anger can be what motivates us to pray and participate in justice. When Jesus saw the moneychangers at the Temple, he was extremely angry and took action.

In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. 15 Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. 16 Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” John 2:14-16

When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus was angry.

When Mary arrived and saw Jesus, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

33 When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him,[a] and he was deeply troubled. John 11:32-33

Reading different commentators, many believe that Jesus’s anger in John 11 was targeted at the one who causes death, Satan.

Scott Duvall wrote in Angry at Death: Reading John 11: “However, it is best, I think, to regard Jesus’s anger as directed against Satan, the Evil One himself, who presides over the realm of death, wreaking havoc throughout God’s good creation.”

Timothy George wrote in the Roar Heard Around the World: “But in John 11, this encounter takes place in the arena where Satan is deemed to be strongest, at his most unassailable fortress, in the realm of death. . . . What we have here is not so much a sudden upset as an ‘undying hostility to the forces of evil, coming to the surface at the very sight of them. ‘Calvin’s comment on this text is telling: ‘Christ does not come to the sepulcher as an idle spectator, but like a wrestler preparing for the contest. Therefore, no wonder that he groans again, for the violent tyranny of death that he had to overcome stands before his eyes.’”

It’s Ok to be angry at Satan, the creator of evil, death, and chaos.

Anger at the legislators, abortionists, pro-choice, liberals, progressives, and biased media . . . is natural, but maybe misplaced.

Whenever I hear, “The media is the enemy of the people,” my response is, “The media isn’t the enemy. Satan is and he’s using them as his mouthpiece and emissaries of evil.” Sadly, they just don’t know it. Pray for their eyes to be opened, just like God opened the eyes of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. It happened then, it can happen now!

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor [Eph. 6:13-18] so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[a] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12

I hope some of you reading this blog will share in the comments how you’re praying and what you’re praying. It would help believers across the nation to pray in one accord.

How are you turning your anger into positive action?

What are you doing to counter evil?

If you received this blog by email, please comment here. And please feel free to share wherever the Lord leads you.

*All Scriptures are NLT

February 11, 2019
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Don’t Just Cry, Do Something!

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I’m back! Did you miss my Monday Morning Blogs these past few months? I certainly missed you!

As many of you know, I broke my wrist after a tumble down my office stairs on October 22. I’ve been in casts and braces ever since as my wrist healed. Now I’m in physical therapy to strengthen my wrist and muscles that haven’t been used for three months. As you can imagine, this was difficult for a writer!!! Fortunately, I had turned in the manuscript for the new book Everyday Brave the week before the fall.

But it’s been a long journey and isn’t over yet, so I’ll have to make this brief, if I can, since there are so many cultural events I want to address. If you follow me on Facebook, I’ve been able to peck out my comments and thoughts there.

Don't Just Cry, Do Something about the atrocities of abortion in our nation.

Since I’m limited today in the use of my wrist, there are several excellent posts I’d like you to read and share your thoughts and comments here:

“Standing for God in a Pagan Culture” by Pastor Greg Laurie

I’m reading the Bible in a year, and just read about the encounter Pastor Laurie talks about between God, Moses, and Pharaoh. For those who think that Christians should not be involved in government or political issues that are more moral than political, Pharaoh was the government and God sent Moses and Aaron to confront him 10 times before Pharaoh freed the Israelite slaves. I love the last line of this article, “God isn’t looking for good speakers; He’s looking for obedient servants.”

Question: What is God asking you to do in your sphere of influence?

The New York “Reproductive Health Act” RHA (which should’ve been named “Unlimited Abortion Act”) became law on January 22, 2019. Governor Cuomo and his supporters applauded and lit up the World Trade Center monument in pink to celebrate…

[Tweet “Governor Cuomo and his supporters applauded and lit up the World Trade Center monument in pink to celebrate…”]

  • When a pregnant woman miscarries from an assault, the loss of her baby is no longer a crime.
  • Allowing third-trimester abortions (infanticide) for vaguely and subjectively a mother’s “health”.
  • Allowing abortions to be performed by medical personnel other than physicians
  • Making it legal for viable babies born alive following late-term abortions to be denied medical care and left to painfully die. (I can’t imagine what kind of person could stand by and watch this happen. Well I can’t imagine who could be an abortionist either!)

In other words, in New York a baby is not a human!

[Tweet “In New York a baby is not a human!”]

Please read the full text of RHA. It will only take five minutes. Many are trying to spin what it says. Read it for yourself.

In response to New York’s new genocide abortion law, my friend Heather Riggleman saw what God was asking her to do and bravely shared her own testimony in an open letter to New York posted in TODAY Parenting Team, “New York—You Let Fear Win.”

I know that if you’ve had an abortion, this topic is raw and painful for you if you haven’t asked God for, and received, His forgiveness. There’s nothing we’ve done that isn’t forgivable . . .  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

I’ve seen so many angry and tearful emojis on Facebook, but I think God wants us to put those emotions into action. Not just cry all over Facebook and social media where posts will soon be forgotten. We’re to do something to impact our culture positively.

Here are some ideas:

Pray that with science and medical strides in ultrasounds confirming that the creation of a human begins at conception, more people will see and admit that in-utero babies are developing people.

Share God’s Word on His creation of life. Psalm 139:13 Isaiah 49:1

Boldly support, campaign, and vote for pro-life conservative legislators.

Work to get out the conservative vote.

Volunteer at women’s healthcare centers that offer alternatives to abortion.

[Tweet “Encourage your church to get involved in foster care and adoption programs. The church, not the government, is supposed to care for the orphans.”]

Encourage your church to get involved in foster care and adoption programs. The church, not the government, is supposed to care for the orphans. Give these expectant mothers ways to care for their unborn children.

Sign petitions that shout your voice. We’ve seen their success in other areas.

Don’t become complacent or let the horror that alarms you now, become the norm.

Champion for life like you would for your own baby or grandchild’s life.

[Tweet “See and promote movies that expose the truth about abortion. Gosnell or Unplanned when it releases in March.”]

See and promote movies that expose the truth about abortion. Gosnell (his crimes would now be legal in New York. We were on our way to see this movie when I broke my wrist), Unplanned (listen to actress Ashley Bratcher’s own story),

Mentor—educate young women about the reality of abortion and answer their questions. I talk about ideas for how to have these discussions in Mentoring for All Seasons. I also talk in this book about how to mentor women and girls who’ve already had an abortion. How to share with them that God loves them and will forgive them if they only will come to Him and ask.

Use Your Story for God’s Glory. My friend Patti Smith is an example of a woman who had abortions before turning her life over to Jesus. She’s now mentoring women who’ve had abortions. She wrote a blog post for me several years ago, Prisoners of Their Own Choice.

God can use our past bad choices to help them not become someone else’s future.

[Tweet “God can use our past bad choices to help them not become someone else’s future.”]

Believe me, all those women in the “Shout Your Abortion” movement endorsed by Oprah Winfrey are not proud of their abortions. They’re hurting women who think they’ll feel better about their choice if they can justify it by finding other women in the same situation. They too need to hear that Jesus forgives when you ask.

[Tweet “Women who’ve had abortions too need to hear that Jesus forgives when you ask. Spread that news that God loves you.”]

Share the Gospel and love. Spread the news that God loves you and forgives. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your Savior, turn from your sinful life, ask Him for forgiveness for past sins, and let Him guide your life. (1 John 1:9)

Read Forsaken God?: Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten. There are questions at the end of each chapter for group study.

I’m not trying to promote sales of this book, I’m just telling you that when this book released in 2016, I foretold the progressive movement for what it is: the playbook for Satan. I saw it then and it’s even more relevant now. If progressives, like Cuomo and other liberals, get into power in the White House this is just an example of the continued progression of evil in our country.

Here’s another good article from Christianpost.com, Abortion is Satanic Worship.

When Cuomo and his colleagues gleefully wore pink and signed the death sentence to so many unborn boys and girls, he made this statement: “a historic victory for our progressive values.”

In Forsaken God?, here is what I wrote about Progressivism. It’s founder is Satan and atheism is the basis for its values.

Each generation pushes out the boundaries of sin and immorality a little farther in the name of a “progressive tolerant culture.” The 20th Century’s sexual revolution has made sex outside of marriage and abortion acceptable and old stuff as the 21st Century’s norm becomes casual hookups, unwed pregnancies, homosexuals, transgenderism, gay marriage, and condoms passed out in schools. What one generation does in moderation, the next generation does in excess, and sadly that’s been true since the beginning of time.

Satan is hijacking high-profile liberal pastors and several mainline denominations who expound that: the Bible isn’t inerrant or relevant, God is a myth, Jesus is a legend, and the church needs to catch up with the culture. Essentially, they’re atheists trying to mask themselves as “progressive Christians,” as if they’ve discovered the true, open-minded Christianity that doesn’t need the Bible.

I want to hear other ideas you have for engaging with our culture. God is using all of this to bring the atrocities of abortion back into the public eye.

What are you doing to let the light shine as the darkness takes over our country? You can make a difference, one life at a time.

Good to be back for such a time as this.

Remember the goodness of God so you don't forsake Him in your life.

January 28, 2019
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